Manual control device



July 17 1956 c. J. BARI-:cm 2,754,688

MANUAL CONTROL DEVICE Filed April l5, 1954 -l BY IQMJGM ATTORNEY United States PatentO MANUAL CONTROL DEVICE Chester J. Barecki, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 15, 1954, Serial No. 423,445

2 Claims. (Cl. 74-100) The present invention relates to a manual control device.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide a manually operable device for remotely controlling various types of mechanism such as, for example, an aircraft safety locking mechanism of the type disclosed in Patent No. 2,480,335 issued August 30, 1949, to Walter E. Nordmark; to provide such a control device which, when operatively connected to one end of a control cable the other end of which is connected to the mechanism to be controlled, can be manually operated to reciprocate the control cable and thus make a desired adjustment in said mechanism; to provide such a manual control device having a pivotally mounted reciprocable control lever which automatically locks in position at both ends of its reciprocatory path and which upon a very slight initial manual movement from one of its locked positions will be automatically spring-pressed with a snap action to its other locked position, but which must be manually forced in its opposite direction of movement; to provide such a device in which any tendency of the control lever to become inadvertently balanced and thus left in a neutral position is minimized; and in general to provide such a manual control device which is simple, compact and lightweight.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the new device with the cover of the casing removed and showing certain parts in vertical section taken on line 1--1 of Figure 3, and showing the operating handle of the device in a rearwardly moved position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 and showing the operating handle of the device in a forwardly moved position and parts associated therewith in correspondingly moved positions;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the device taken online 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional View of the device taken on line 4 4 of Figure 1.

The manual control device shown in this drawing may nd many uses, but the use for which it is primarily intended is installation on the side of an airplane pilots seat whereby the pilot may manually lock or unlock a safety shoulder harness reel mounted on the rear of the pilots seat, as illustrated in Patent No. 2,480,335 identilied above. When the device Ais so mounted and connected to the safety shoulder harness reel by means of a cable, the pilot may move the operating handle of the device rearwardly (to the right as seen in Figure 1) to unlock the reel or forwardly (to the left as seen in Figure 2) to lock the reel.

Experience has shown it to be desirable for the pilot to be able to move the operating handle from the forward or reel-locking position to the rearward or reel-unlocking position with a mere flick of the handle to initiate a springpressed snap action. Itis also desirable that the manual control device be so constructed that the operating handle cannot be inadvertently left in an intermediate or neutral Yce position. The present device accomplishes these desirable ends.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the mechanism of the manual control device is housed within a casing generally designated 10 and comprising a hollow body element 11 and a` cover 12 therefore secured together by means of rivets 13 which are shown in section in Figures l and 2. ln the lower part of the casing .is a forwardlyrearwardly extending substantially horizontal slide bearing 14 having a stop 15I at the forward end thereof and a stop 16 at the rearward end thereof. A slide bar 17 is mounted in the slide bearing 14 for reciprocatory sliding movement between the stops 15 and 16, and has a rod portion 18 which extends exteriorly of the casing through a bore 19 and which is adapted for attachment by means not shown to the cable of the reel.

The control lever 20l of the device is pivotally mounted on a pin 21 secured to the casing by means of a rivet 22 extending through the casing above the slide bar. The control lever has an operating handle or arm 23 which extends upwardly through an opening in the casing 10 and which is provided with a knob 24 on its outer end, and has a depending control ann 25 which is operatively associated with the slide bar 17 by means of a roller 26 turnably mounted on the lower end of the control arm 25 and extending into a recess in the slide bar 17. It will readily be seen that by this means pivotal movement of the control lever 20 effects horizontal reciprocation of the slide bar 17.

A tubular element 27 has a clevis 28 at its rearward end which is pivotally connected to the forward part of the control lever 20, and this tubularV element extends forwardly into telescoping engagement with the rearwardly extending shank of a pin 29 the head 30 of which is pivotally disposed in a socket 31 in the casing 10. A helical compression spring 32 is interposed between the casing 10 and the forward part of the control lever 20, said spring 32 circumscribing the telescoping tubular element 27 and pin 29 and having its opposite ends bearing against the clevis 28 on the tubular element 27 and the head 30 of pin 29 respectively.

A second tubular element 33` has a clevis 34 at its forward end which is pivotally connected to the rearward part of the control lever 20, and this tubular element 33 extends rearwardly into telescoping engagement with the forwardly extending shank of a second pin 35 the head 36 of which is pivotally disposed in a socket 37 in the casing 10. A second helical compression spring 38 is interposed between the casing 10 and the rearward part of the control lever 20, said spring 38 circumscribing the telescoping tubular element 33 and pin 35 and having its opposite ends bearing against the clevis 34 on the tubular with the control lever thus to vary their angular directions of force relative to the levers center of pivotal movement. When the control levers operating arm 23 is in a rearward position and the slide bar 17 is in a corresponding forward position as seen in Figure 1, spring 32 exerts a force on the lever in a direction above the levers center of movement while spring 38 exerts a force on the lever in a direction below the levers center of movement, and these forces combine to securely lock the parts in these positions. When the operating arm 23 is pushed manually forwardly the parts assume their positions seen in Figure 2. In these positions the direction of force of spring 32 on the lever is slightly below the levers center of pivotal movement while the direction of force of spring 38 is directly on the levers center of movement. The spring 38 is thus neutral, i. e. it neither exerts nor opposes any turning force on the lever. The force of spring 32 being directed slightly below the control levers center of pivotal movement, the lever is thus secured in its Figure 2 position. A very slight movement or flick of the control levers operating arm 23 will, however, initiate a fast spring-pressed snap action of the parts back to their Figure 1 positions.

The moments of force exerted by springs 32 and 38 thus combine to urge the control lever in one turning direction or the other and the arrangement is such that these forces reach equilibrium when the slide bar 17 approaches the extreme rearward end of its reciprocatory path of movement. Thus when the operating arm 23 is being pushed manually forwardly, the springs forces do not reach equilibrium until just before completion of this forward push so that there is very little possibility of the control levers being inadvertently left in a neutral position.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides a manual control device which is very effective in its intended use and which may till other needs, and while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described it will be understood that numerous details thereof may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as the same is defined by the following claims.

l claim:

l. A manual control device comprising a casing having a. forwardly-rearwardly extending substantially horizontal slide bearing in the lower portion thereof, a slide bar reciprocally slidably mounted in said bearing, stop means limiting the forward and rearward sliding movements of said slide bar, a control lever pivotally mounted on the casing above the slide bar and having a depending control arm operatively associated with the slide bar for forward and rearward movements therewith and having an operating arm extending upwardly through an opening .in the casing, a helical compression spring interposed between the casing and the forward part of the control lever and a second helical compression spring interposed between the casing and the rearward part of the control lever, said springs being movable with the control lever thus to vary their angular directions of force relative to said levers center of pivotal movement, one of said springs being movable with the lever to exert force on the lever in a direction above said centerin the rearward position of the operating arm and slightly below said center in the forward position of the operating arm, and the other of said springs being movable with the lever to exert force on the lever in a direction below said center in the rearward position of the operating arm and substantially on said center in the forward position of the operating arm, the moments of force exerted by said springs combining to urge the control lever in one turning direction or the other and being such as to reach equilibrium when the slide bar approaches one extreme end of its reprocating path of movement.

2. A manual control device comprising a casing having a forwardly-rearwardly extending substantially horizontal slide bearing in the lower portion thereof, a slide bar reciprocally slidably mounted in said bearing, stop means limiting the forward and rearward sliding movements of said slide bar, a control lever pivotally mounted on the casing above the sli-de bar and having a depending control arm operatively associated with the slide bar for forward and rearward movements therewith and having an operating arm extending upwardly through an opening in the casing, a tubular element pivotally connected to the control lever forwardly of said levers pivotal connection to the casing and extending forwardly from said lever, a pin having its forward end pivotally mounted in the casing and extending rearwardly into telescoping engagement with said tubular element, a helical compression spring circumscribing said telescoping tubular element and pin and having its opposite ends bearing against the opposite ends of said tubular element and pin respectively, a second tubular element pivotally connected to the control lever rearwardly of and below said levers pivotal connection to the casing and extending rearwardly from said lever, a second pin having its rearward end pivotally mounted in the casing and extending forwardly into telescoping engagement with said second tubular element, and a second helical compression spring crcumscribing said second telescoping tubular element and pin and having its opposite ends bearing against the opposite ends of said second tubular element and pin respectively, said springs being movable with the control lever thus to vary their angular directions of force relative to said levers center of pivotal movement, one of said springs being movable with the lever to exert force on the lever in a direction above said center in the rearward position of the operating arm and slightly below said center in the forward position of the operating arm, and the other of said springs being movable with the lever to exert force on the lever in a -direction below said center in the rearward position of the operating arm and substantially on said center in the forward position of the operating arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,285,019 Bullard Nov. 19, 1918 1,785,192 Hammerly Dec. 16, 1930 2,210,501 Sachs Aug. 26, 1940 

